The 2025 NFL season has eight weeks in the books, and some of the league’s top coordinators are attracting plenty of attention as future head coaches.

Some struggling NFL teams might be soon parting ways with their head coaches, paving the way for some of the league’s best assistants to earn their chance (or second chance) to run an NFL team.

NFL: 7 coaches on the hot seat halfway through 2025

We’ve picked out some of the top assistants in the NFL who could get head coaching interviews in the winter and discussed why they’re likely to be hot commodities in the next NFL coaching carousel.

Some of these guys could just remain where they are, while some of these guys are definitely getting promoted.

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady

Brady will be one of the hottest coaching candidates in this upcoming cycle, another benefactor of calling plays for one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh Allen. Can Brady mount a ferocious offense without Allen under center? Most offensive coordinators get NFL head coaching jobs in part because of stellar quarterback play. However, any team looking to revamp their offenses will likely speak with Brady and hear out his coaching vision.

Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury

Kingsbury is the first coach on this list who could earn a second chance at running an NFL team. His years with the Arizona Cardinals were forgettable, but his work with quarterback Jayden Daniels in the latter’s rookie season earned him a lot of praise. The Commanders are more plagued with offensive injuries this year, but we’re still very curious if NFL teams will want to bring Kingsbury in and pick his brain on what he’d do in his second coaching stint.

Chargers DC Jesse Minter

Minter is one of the sharpest defensive minds in the NFL. It would make a ton of sense for him to be the next coach from the Jim Harbaugh tree to land a head coaching job elsewhere. The work he’s done with the Chargers defense is pretty incredible. If teams are looking for the next Mike Macdonald, Minter will be a hot commodity for vacancies.

Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak

Kubiak looks poised to follow in his dad Gary’s footsteps to lead an NFL team as its head coach. He’s turned a Seahawks offense led by quarterback Sam Darnold into one of the NFL’s most lethal units, and he got off to a hot start in New Orleans last year with the Saints as offensive coordinator before the organizational wheels fell off. Kubiak will be one of the hottest names on this coaching cycle if the Seahawks keep putting up all of these points.

Steelers OC Arthur Smith

Could Smith be in line for another coaching job? His work in Pittsburgh with a quarterback carousel has been pretty sound. He’s a bright offensive coach who struggled with quarterback instability with the Atlanta Falcons. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him get a call from the Tennessee Titans, where he worked for most of his career before Atlanta.

Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard

Sheppard is one of the coaching breakouts of 2025, a former linebacker who has kept the Detroit Lions defense humming along in Aaron Glenn’s stead. The Lions are a popular target for coordinator hires as of late, and Sheppard could translate his lone season as a defensive coordinator in Detroit into a head coaching pretty quickly.

Packers DC Jeff Hafley

Hafley is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, even if his four seasons as a college head coach with Boston College was a bit more ho-hum. Even so, he’s got the Packers defense rolling. Don’t be surprised if teams call him in for interviews to see what he’d do differently as a NFL head coach than he did at the college level.

Vikings DC Brian Flores

Flores’ stint with the Miami Dolphins looks even better in the rearview mirror, even if it wasn’t always perfect. He’s been a head coaching candidate since thriving with the Minnesota Vikings as their defensive coordinator. His time will hopefully come sooner than later to get a second chance to work as a head coach in the NFL, maybe as soon as next season. Sure, the Vikings’ defense isn’t lighting the world on fire, but teams should still be interested in Flores.

Rams OC Mike LaFleur

LaFleur could be the latest coach from the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree to land a head coaching job in the NFL. NFL teams love hiring their top assistants and seeing of that Shanahan/McVay magic can linger just enough to find similar success elsewhere. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it does not. Mike LaFleur’s brother Matt has done wonders with the Green Bay Packers, and it feels like a matter of time until Mike LaFleur will get his chance.

49ers DC Robert Saleh

Saleh might not be out of a head coaching job for long after his stellar work with the 49ers defense this season. Saleh’s coaching has been pretty undeniable since rejoining San Francisco, making the most out of a banged-up defense missing key stars. His time with the New York Jets was a struggle, but you can say that about most coaches who work for that franchise. It’s not hard to imagine Saleh getting another opportunity in 2026.